Mark Zuckerberg causes a stir because he diligently practices jiujitsu

Zuckerberg regularly practices jiujitsu at home - Photo: Instagram/Mark

Mark Zuckerberg is known as the founder of the social network Facebook. Not only is he one of the most influential people on the planet, Mark is also famous for his passion for sports, especially jiujitsu.

Unexpected relationship with jiujitsu

The Meta boss was previously known for his hobbies of running and surfing, but the turning point came at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

Through his surfing friends, he learned about and started practicing jiujitsu (Brazilian JiuJitsu). Mark trained under Dave Camarillo, who was the head coach of this martial art at the American Kickboxing Academy, which has trained countless UFC champions such as Cain Velasquez, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck.

A jiujitsu workout by Mark Zuckerberg - Source: Lex Clips

During a chat on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast in September 2022, Zuckerberg did not hesitate to share about his "love at first sight" with jiujitsu.

“The crazy thing is that it’s really the best sport,” he confided. “From the first training session, after just five minutes I thought, why didn’t I know about it sooner?”

Hard work and initial success

The Facebook founder doesn't just talk about his passion. He shows it in the gym.

According to coach Dave Camarillo, Zuckerberg is an extremely hard-working student. He did not hesitate to give his famous student compliments: "Mark is great. Everyone knows he is an extremely hard-working person. But many successful business people rarely venture into the physical field, especially in subjects like jiujitsu and MMA.

But he's not that type of person. I think he has a good balance between business and physical activity. And he's excellent, one of the best students I've ever had."

The rewards of that hard work came early. In May 2023, Mark Zuckerberg surprised everyone by participating in the Jiu-Jitsu Tour Silicon Valley tournament and winning the gold medal in the 149-pound (about 67.5 kg) weight class for the Master1 age group (athletes over 30 years old).

Mark Zuckerberg wins the Jiujitsu Tour Silicon Valley tournament - Photo: Instagram/Mark

Currently, President Meta has achieved a blue belt in this martial art.

Despite his busy schedule running a tech giant, Zuckerberg still makes time to practice jiujitsu two or three times a week. According to a June 2023 interview with Lex Fridman on his podcast, he and some close friends have been practicing together and even set up a small jiujitsu class in his garage.

Zuckerberg sees jiujitsu not only as a form of physical exercise, but also as a way to relieve stress, improve concentration and cultivate mental discipline.

Zuckerberg's Valley tournament win has drawn a lot of attention from the martial arts community. Many big names in the MMA scene such as UFC champions Alexander Volkanovski, Brandon Moreno and Israel Adesanya left congratulatory comments on his personal Instagram page.

Coach Dave Camarillo believes that celebrities like Zuckerberg getting involved in martial arts like jiujitsu and MMA will have a positive impact, inspiring many others to take up these sports.

Humility and learning spirit

One of the things that impressed Coach Camarillo most about Zuckerberg was his humility and willingness to learn. Despite being a billionaire with global influence, the Facebook founder accepted failure and defeat during training.

“I think it’s a mindset he had before I started working with him,” Camarillo says. “When you play tennis or basketball or surfing, losing doesn’t have big consequences. But in jiujitsu, you can get choked, you can get your joints broken, or worse, you can get pinned down and you can’t get out. He handles that very well.”

Zuckerberg is a sports fanatic, he loves running - Photo: Instagram/Mark

The fact that Zuckerberg signed up for the tournament under the name "Mark Elliott" (using his middle name) shows that he wants to focus entirely on competing without being distracted by his fame. This further shows the billionaire's seriousness and passion for jiujitsu.

Jiu jitsu is a Japanese martial art that combines punching, kicking, grappling, and grappling. In 1904, Mitsuyo Maeda, a jiu jitsu master, left Japan and traveled to the United States, earning a living by competing and teaching jiu jitsu. In 1930, he became a Brazilian citizen, and it was here that his students from the Gracie family, most notably Helio Gracie, adopted and refined jiu jitsu into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ).

BJJ eliminates punching and kicking, only keeping the grappling, locking and developing this technical system to the point that BJJ is known as the chess of martial arts.

Although it is a highly lethal martial art, BJJ practitioners rarely suffer serious injuries. The reason comes from the special training method, BJJ practitioners can clap their hands to stop the fight when they are locked in a position. This is not possible in other standing fighting disciplines because punches and kicks fly straight at the body. Therefore, the training time and age of BJJ is higher than most other disciplines.

Read more Back to Topics

THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mark-zuckerberg-gay-sot-vi-miet-mai-luyen-vo-jiujitsu-20250323172821579.htm